Postmortem reports into the deaths of Thomasina and Patrick Tobin, who were found dead in the jacuzzi of their Spanish holiday villa, show that both suffered fatal heart stoppages when they became trapped in the jacuzzi at the villa near Valencia.
One theory is that both cardiac arrests were brought on by physical exhaustion in the struggle to save themselves, while another is that one of them was electrocuted and the other died when they fought to rescue them, Belfast Live reports.
Preliminary findings
"Preliminary analyses indicate that the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment," the Valencia newspaper Las Provincias said on Sunday morning.
The married couple, who had two teenage children and were living in London, died in the incident at their holiday villa at Cullera, near Valencia, last Tuesday. Mrs Tobin, née McArdle, was a quantity surveyor originally from Castleblayney in Co Monaghan. She was 51. Her husband Patrick, 48, was from New Zealand.
Investigation details
They are believed to have spent up to two weeks at the villa in the upmarket residential estate called Cap Blanc in Cullera when the tragedy happened. They were both found dead in the jacuzzi by their two teenage children, who then raised the alarm.
Homicide police initially investigated their deaths as there were marks and scratches on both bodies, but foul play was quickly ruled out. Instead, police are now investigating the theory that they died in a freak accident while they enjoyed the outdoor jacuzzi in their holiday rental.
On Saturday, August 29, police examined the jacuzzi for the third time, with an industrial expert on hot tubs joining the Guardia Civil team at the request of an investigating magistrate. The expert was tasked with analysing the power of the suction fittings in the jacuzzi to see if they trapped one or both of the victims in the hot tub.
Suction theory
Las Provincias said investigators are probing the theory that the tub's hydro-massage system caused a strong suction effect that suddenly trapped Mr and Mrs Tobin in the water. Investigators believe the couple then fought desperately to save themselves.
The paper says: "According to the first investigations, the excessive suction force would have imprisoned the couple inside the bathtub, which triggered a situation of extreme anguish and desperate physical effort to free themselves from the hydraulic grip. The autopsy findings almost definitively reinforce the theory of accidental entrapment. Preliminary analyses indicate that the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment."
It also said the postmortems showed the scratches on their bodies were not as a result of third-party violence but stemmed from them trying to save each other. The paper also said that another possibility is that one victim may have suffered cardiac arrest due to electrocution from a suspected fault in the tub and the other died trying to save them.
Background of the victims
Mrs Tobin was a member of the McArdle family from Castleblayney but had been living and working in London for around 20 years. Her father is Tommy McArdle, a playwright, actor and producer who spent many years directing RTÉ's drama Glenroe. He is famous for working with his brother John, also a writer and actor; both brothers also played football for Monaghan.
Mrs Tobin was a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and worked as a Chartered Surveyor. Major projects she worked on in the UK included the Ritz and Shard building, both in London.
The Department of Foreign Affairs previously confirmed to the Irish Mirror it was aware of the incident and was providing consular assistance in the case of one Irish citizen. Initial reports said both Mr and Mrs Tobin were Irish, but it was later established that he was from New Zealand.
A spokeswoman told the Irish Mirror: "The Department is aware of this case and is providing consular assistance in the case of the Irish citizen concerned. As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases."
The couple's two young children reportedly alerted the homeowner after finding their bodies at their rented villa near Valencia at around 5pm local time on Tuesday. Relatives from Monaghan flew out to be with the couple's devastated children on Wednesday morning.
